Principals Note
A huge thank you to every principal, coach, teacher, secretary, and school staff member who participated in Planet Kindergarten! We saw principals become astronauts, aides transformed into aliens, upperclassmen tutoring kindergarteners, secretaries wearing letter stickers, and coaches testing letters and sounds. Achieving this goal wouldn’t be possible without the collective effort of our entire school and district teams.
This year’s kindergarten letter and sound data is higher than it’s ever been! While we celebrate as a team, we know our work doesn’t stop here. We’ve just taken the first step toward our end-of-year goal: having every kindergartner read 20 whole words on Acadience. Please remember, you are not alone on this journey.
To support you, we’ve lined up several more classes to provide instruction and support for your coaches and teachers. You can also reach out to a literacy specialist at any time. In your envelope, you’ll find an invitation to the Sound Explorers class and the latest Planet Kindergarten newsletter. Assistant principals, coaches, and teachers have also received this information. Each of your teachers received a certificate celebrating their success on the November goal, and we’ve included a copy of the certificate for you as well.
If your school would like extra support with letter and sound mastery, phonemic awareness, or with next steps like blending, please reach out to your literacy specialist, explore the Planet Kindergarten Toolkit, review the latest newsletter, or connect with principals from top-performing schools for inspiration.
Thank you to you and your staff for your dedication and hard work helping kindergartners master their letters and sounds this year. There’s a strong movement happening across our district, and it’s exciting to see it grow! If there’s anything else we can do to support you, please let us know. We’re here to help.
With appreciation,
The Literacy Team
We Did It!
Thank you all for your incredible dedication and hard work in pursuing our goal of 100% of your students knowing all their letters and sounds by November 7th! This is a huge accomplishment, and it’s time to celebrate!
We didn’t just meet our goal, we crushed it! We more than doubled the number of teachers who achieved 100%, and even more teachers are now in the 90% range. This outstanding growth will set our students up for reading success and a strong start in first grade. Your efforts are making a real difference!
Let’s keep this momentum going! Check out the upcoming classes below. If you can join us, we’d love to see you.
Sound Explorers - Nov. 14 or 21, 2026 1:30 - 3:30
Join us for an interactive session to help kindergarten students strengthen their phonemic awareness and begin reading CVC words before MOY Acadience. There will be pizza and dessert. All teachers who attend will receive PA games & supplies. Sign up at pd.jordandistrict.org.
Rocket Readers - Jan. 30, 2026 1:30- 3:30
Together, we’ll share strategies, discuss challenges, and develop actionable plans to achieve our end-of-year goal of 20 whole words read. Sign up at pd.jordandistrict.org.
Planet Kindergarten Top Schools and Teachers
To show our appreciation for everyone’s hard work, we’re throwing a pizza party at our Sound Explorers Class with tons of prizes. Don’t miss out on the fun, you’ve earned it!
Next Steps for Students that Haven’t Met the Goal Yet...
- Review the Planet Kindergarten Toolkit and get some letter/sound ideas from the Classroom Helpers page
- Attend the Sound Explorers and Rocket Readers classes
- Try Incremental Rehearsal using alphabet flashcards
- Email a school or teacher on the above list and ask if you can observe their classroom
- Create a Tier 3 folder so that student is receiving a double dose of letters and sounds
- Reach out to a literacy specialist to talk through some strategies